It may not have always felt like paradise, but NC State baseball will leave Hawaii with a series win after topping the Rainbow Warriors 10-8, taking two of three games in the series.
The Wolfpack (4-2) faced a tough challenge against the Rainbow Warriors (3-4), who split a series last week against Ole Miss. After suffering a late-game collapse in the second game of the series, the Pack made sure to not make the same mistake and escaped the islands victorious.
After a quiet first inning, both sides traded punches in the second, scoring two runs apiece. With two runners in scoring position, freshman second baseman Luke Nixon hit a two-RBI single to give NC State an early lead. The Rainbow Warriors matched in the bottom of the second with two runs of their own. Hawaii then took its first and only lead of the game in the fourth with two more runs.
Despite the high number of runs, the Pack had a middling day at the plate — except in the fifth inning where NC State could do no wrong — scoring a whopping seven runs. With seven hits and two pitching changes, the Pack left the Rainbow Warriors in the dust.
Graduate first baseman Garrett Pennington kicked off the eventful inning with a double to left field. The Wichita State transfer was followed by junior catcher Jacob Cozart, who blasted a two-run homer to seize the lead.
The Pack’s next two batters, graduate third baseman Alec Makarewicz and sophomore center fielder Eli Serrano III, both got themselves into scoring position. Redshirt freshman designated hitter Drew Lanphere singled to right field, driving both runners home.
The fifth inning continued to be a nightmare for the Rainbow Warriors, who were forced to make another pitching change. A walk loaded the bases, setting up sophomore left fielder Josh Hogue with a golden opportunity. Hogue capitalized with a two-RBI single. A sacrifice fly by Pennington — who batted twice in the fifth inning — then scored Hogue, completing the seven-run inning.
The inning left Hawaii scrambling the rest of the game to come back. Down 10-4 in the seventh inning, the Rainbow Warriors made a small dent in the deficit with a two-run burst to pull within four runs. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Shane Van Dam made a pair of mistakes — a walk and a wild pitch — that allowed the Rainbow Warriors the opportunity to claw back into the game.
Heading into the eighth, Van Dam returned to the mound and quickly gave up a single. Head coach Elliott Avent then opted to make a pitching change to avoid another late-game collapse. Senior right-handed pitcher Hollis Fanning took to the mound and immediately surrendered a triple, scoring the runner on base. The Rainbow Warriors put the ball in play on the next at-bat and a throwing error allowed Hawaii to add another run. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Derrick Smith replaced Fanning and successfully closed the eighth inning.
Due to a travel curfew, the game ended after just eight innings. Fortunately for the Pack, the travel curfew occurred while the red-and-white still held the lead, despite the shifting momentum.
Next up, NC State will return home to Doak Field on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 3 p.m. to take on Queens. The game will be available on ACC Network Extra.
